Post by: Maxim on June 26, 2007, 06:28:05 am
All of these were made using my screenshot autostitcher program (https://www.vgmaps.com/forums/index.php?topic=516) with a little editing to get them up to a good standard. Wherever possible, the game engine was coerced into wrapping around the edges to grab the full level size and graphics, even where it can't be seen in-game.
I do not intend to finish these unless I have a lot of spare time and certainly after I finish any previously announced projects.
OK, here we go:
Roller Coaster
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/4926/micromachinesiirollercons4.png
Basement Bumps
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/2774/micromachinesiibasementem6.png
Whine On
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/4218/micromachinesiiwhineonry9.png
I Forgot The Name (incomplete)
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/7100/image2pb2.png
You can't avoid the track so some hacking is needed to see what's in the middle. I intend to fill in the missing parts using the graphics from later same-theme levels.
The idea of limiting image-posting capability on these forums really sucks, by the way.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on June 26, 2007, 07:49:04 am
Post by: Maxim on June 26, 2007, 08:10:27 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on June 27, 2007, 05:33:37 am
Post by: Maxim on June 28, 2007, 03:51:11 pm
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/417/micromachinesiiturboturws5.png
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on June 28, 2007, 04:06:13 pm
Post by: Maxim on June 28, 2007, 04:12:54 pm
http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/4043/micromachinesiiwhineonsd0.png
These are incredibly easy to do automatically, you need to persevere a little. I'll see if I can make a tutorial this weekend.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on June 29, 2007, 03:13:48 am
Post by: Maxim on June 29, 2007, 06:13:33 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on June 29, 2007, 07:46:54 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on June 29, 2007, 08:05:35 am
micromachinesiiwhineonsd0.png
micromachinesiiturboturws5.png
micromachinesiirollercons4.png, etc?
Post by: Maxim on June 29, 2007, 10:24:37 am
I may or may not finish this, as I explained before. If I did, I'd finish one game and then move on to the other, how they'd be arranged on the site is another matter.
For the wrapping courses, I'd choose an appropriate cut-off point and go from there. I did try mapping the one you mention, but the water animation made it hard to automate. An Action replay code to disable animation might help there. SMS Cool Spot is my mapping priority now, anyway.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on June 29, 2007, 12:14:25 pm
Post by: Maxim on June 30, 2007, 11:22:46 am
Stream Struggle/Rapid Results
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/7229/micromachinesiistreamsthd3.png
(I didn't check it exactly matches Rapid Results.)
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on June 30, 2007, 11:36:29 am
Post by: Maxim on June 30, 2007, 02:10:23 pm
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/3971/micromachinesiiferryfiapd4.png
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on June 30, 2007, 02:28:50 pm
Post by: Maxim on June 30, 2007, 02:47:40 pm
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/5243/micromachinesiichainsawpa2.png
A relatively easy one to map.
Post by: Maxim on June 30, 2007, 02:57:20 pm
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2914/micromachinesiipoolslalyq3.png
Nice and easy.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on June 30, 2007, 03:42:13 pm
Post by: Maxim on June 30, 2007, 04:07:08 pm
Dervish Danger
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7520/micromachinesiidervishdfd0.png
Post by: Maxim on June 30, 2007, 04:45:23 pm
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/6066/micromachinesiifrostyrepx2.png
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 01, 2007, 04:16:52 am
Post by: Maxim on July 01, 2007, 04:37:20 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 01, 2007, 05:36:42 am
Post by: Maxim on July 01, 2007, 05:41:39 am
Pipe Patience
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/6531/micromachinesiipipepatifz9.png
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 01, 2007, 05:52:58 am
Um... can you tell me, from the following list, if you know of any courses that I've missed?
Open Top/Convertible
Roller Coaster, Turbo Turns, Ups N Downs, Step On It, Paper Pranks
4x4
Tiny Treehouse
Treehouse Tiles
Treetop Tremors
Raining Champ
Windy Willows
Tree Trouble
Supercars
Ferry Fiasco !!
Plate Hop
Toaster Trouble
Off Roaders
Basement Bumps !!
Candle Chaos
Ceiling Circuit
Attic Antics
Lights Out
Dump Trucks
Whine On !!
Cob Challenge
Jelly Jitters
Jelly Jive
Rally Cars
Chainsaw Chase !!
Hammer Havoc
Vice Squad
Driller Killer
Bugs
Garage Games !!
Crossing Chaos
Turbo Blast
Hovercraft
Water Chase
Bubble Trouble
Hover Havoc
Sportscars
Pool Slalom !!
Pool Problems
Ball Bonanza
Ball Chase
Cue Capers
Dragsters
Bathtub Burnoff
Rim Runners
Beach Buggies
Picnic Problems (MM2)
Picnic Problems (MM96)
Banked Oval
Dervish Danger !!
Sand Castles
Tidal Trouble
Bury My Body
ATV
Training Camp (MM2)
Frosty Reception !!
Garden Jumps
Frosty Frolics
ATV Action
Formula 1 (MM2)
Pinball Panic
Pinball Pirsuit
Choppers
Pipe Patience !!
Bricks N Trees
Monster Trucks
Musical Hits
In A Spin
Piano Panic
Powerboats
Stream Struggle
Rapid Results
Formula 1 (MM96)
BBQ Burnoff
Tent Tussle
Training Camp (MM96)
Bean Boogie
Solarcars
Science Lab
Electric Energy
Bunsen Bother
Jet Planes
Jet Joust
Mach 1 Mayhem
Aerial Action
Vintage Cars
Printer Panic
Stamper Stress
Desktop Drama
Go Karts
Bench Blast
Running Riot
Gym Nasties
Cops Cars
Loco Larks
Post by: Maxim on July 01, 2007, 06:05:58 am
Banked Oval
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/6082/micromachinesiibankedovev0.png
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 01, 2007, 06:21:36 am
Post by: Maxim on July 01, 2007, 06:36:59 am
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/2725/micromachinesiiupsndownuo8.png
Post by: Maxim on July 01, 2007, 06:39:27 am
Water Chase - can't get all the graphics for the plants at the edges, although I didn't try making it scroll-wrap yet.
Pinball Panic - uses layers differently which makes it impossible to turn off the parallax. Animated track makes it hard for the autostitcher. May need to be done the hard way.
Post by: Maxim on July 01, 2007, 07:05:02 am
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/1381/micromachinesiiballchashu0.png
Now I have to go do some housework before my wife kills me.
Post by: Maxim on July 01, 2007, 10:12:20 am
https://img530.imageshack.us/img530/3833/micromachinessteponitom8.png
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 01, 2007, 04:01:06 pm
1. How would you go about getting that part in the middle?
2. How do you do the parts round the edge?
Here's the map:
http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/7573/mm96picnicproblemsjo4.png
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 01, 2007, 04:07:11 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 01, 2007, 04:27:56 pm
How to get the middle? Try driving as close to it as you can (ie. into the water) and then try to build it up from existing tiles (the game is based on 32x32 blocks, make sure to find the right grid alignment). The parts you can't see, well just make them up, it's the best you can do without some hacking.
The edges? The game world wraps, just cut off the extra bits you can see on the left and right. Or did you mean the top and bottom? Just drive over there and re-capture it.
If you use a mask, you can avoid those numbers appearing without impacting on the map produced.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 02, 2007, 07:47:45 am
How do you disable paralax... thingy?
Oh and... I did almost manage to successfully map "Hover Havoc"... except I went in the opposite direction, done complete left side, the bottom, and the right side... then went down the right side of the middle, but missed the top and the rest of the middle... XD....
Then I somehow got stuck in that rake thingy... (I even managed to miss just a small corner of a flowerpot near the bottom lol)...
http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/7735/mm96hoverhavocyq8.th.png
Post by: marioman on July 02, 2007, 08:02:25 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 02, 2007, 08:29:11 am
Post by: Maxim on July 02, 2007, 09:54:36 am
Until then, a lot of the time, alignment with the 32x32 grid is enough to select the right black pixels most of the time, for the rest you need to look carefully at screenshots without those layers disabled. The tile slicer/splicer might help there, but I don't use it myself.
For these beach ones, I magic-wand the water areas, then expand the selection by 5 pixels (in Paint Shop Pro), then do a colour-keyed replacement with a pattern brush based on the 32x32 water pattern.
I rarely complete a whole map in one shot, as shown in the tutorial. Instead, I merge multiple passes into each other, moreso in cases where autostitching fails a lot.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 02, 2007, 11:46:25 am
https://img519.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rimrunnersbx9.png
Also, something I noticed about the MM2 ROM I downloaded... Pipe Patience (#15) has been replaced with Bricks N Trees (???):
http://img159.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bricksntreesvi7.png
Post by: Maxim on July 02, 2007, 01:04:38 pm
You might have a beta version of the ROM, which may well have slightly different levels. Or it might be a lame text hack, there's a lot of them around.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 02, 2007, 01:30:59 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 03, 2007, 12:51:20 am
Here's my first stitch of Rim Runners, it had to be masked and stitched (slowly) at 100%. It's still impossible to get all the graphics. It is not the same map as Bathtub Burnoff but it can be used to "fix" that one.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 03, 2007, 05:15:44 am
Post by: Maxim on July 04, 2007, 12:49:55 am
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/577/zzzmicromachinesiirimrunu8.png
Post by: Maxim on July 04, 2007, 12:13:19 pm
I had to make up the centre using tiles from the tilemap, luckily it was not too hard.
Post by: Maxim on July 04, 2007, 12:31:55 pm
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 04, 2007, 01:00:41 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 04, 2007, 01:19:58 pm
http://img513.imageshack.us/my.php?image=micromachinesiigardenjual6.png(<img src="http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/2562/micromachinesiigardenjual6.th.png" width="150" height="135" alt="User posted image" />
Post by: Maxim on July 04, 2007, 01:37:52 pm
Driller Killer
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 04, 2007, 01:42:13 pm
Is Treehouse Tiles too hard, then? Also, will you be doing any maps from courses not in the Time Trials? (Challenge and Super League)
Post by: Maxim on July 04, 2007, 03:47:46 pm
Treehouse Tiles will be hard for the same reason as Tiny Treehouse - hard work separating black pixels from a black background.
I can go back and try to fix up some of the five incomplete ones I have, too.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 04, 2007, 03:53:49 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 05, 2007, 02:28:01 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 05, 2007, 04:50:34 am
http://h1.ripway.com/ukmidis/micromachinesiichallengepart1.zip
It includes Sand Castles, Pinball Pirsuit, Cob Challenge, Ceiling Circuit, ATV Action, Lights Out! and Ball Bonanza.
Post by: Maxim on July 05, 2007, 06:06:45 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 05, 2007, 06:26:35 am
Post by: Maxim on July 05, 2007, 07:05:23 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 05, 2007, 08:20:27 am
Post by: Maxim on July 06, 2007, 12:15:01 am
Post by: Maxim on July 06, 2007, 12:40:44 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 06, 2007, 04:21:59 am
With out the J-Cart thing.
And about the bonus games (Collect 30 Micro machines), there's only 2 types isn't there? The one on the wood/tree area and the sandy one?
Post by: Maxim on July 06, 2007, 07:04:52 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 06, 2007, 07:43:34 am
Post by: Maxim on July 06, 2007, 07:47:48 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 06, 2007, 07:58:37 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 06, 2007, 08:02:47 am
Post by: Maxim on July 06, 2007, 08:19:01 am
If we're lucky, the current level will be stored persistently in RAM somewhere and that would be PAR-controllable. However, I can think of several ways for the game to work without that being the case. I have already tried unsuccessfully to make a code to select the vehicle - having helicopters on every round would make a lot of things easier.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 06, 2007, 08:58:06 am
Post by: Maxim on July 06, 2007, 09:12:17 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 06, 2007, 10:15:15 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 06, 2007, 10:50:56 am
http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/6685/tidaltroubleqi8.png
How do you display images here?
Post by: Maxim on July 06, 2007, 01:27:03 pm
You should turn that text off in the Gens options, or use the mask to get rid of it.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 06, 2007, 02:56:33 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 06, 2007, 02:57:27 pm
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 06, 2007, 03:00:18 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 06, 2007, 03:23:31 pm
To fill the water, flood fill the pink to black, then magic wand the black water areas. Expand the selection by 5 pixels. Then use the colour-replace brush to replace black with your water texture, double-click to replace all rather than painting over.
It's easy when you know how but hard to describe...
Cob Challenge
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 06, 2007, 03:50:00 pm
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 06, 2007, 03:56:19 pm
Oh and I just noticed something... in the Garden Jumps map the vehicle is showing near the first corner, and in Driller Killer the second drill is missing a handle and trigger I think...
Post by: Maxim on July 07, 2007, 05:56:50 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 07, 2007, 06:24:52 am
Post by: Maxim on July 07, 2007, 03:31:36 pm
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 07, 2007, 04:00:12 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 07, 2007, 04:18:46 pm
Ceiling Circuits
The background is the Basement Bumps course with the greys darkened. I adjusted the Basement Bumps map in the same way and used it for the background rather than stretching the section shown in-game. A lot of it shows up as black, though...
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 07, 2007, 04:28:38 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 08, 2007, 11:48:15 am
Post by: Maxim on July 08, 2007, 12:34:46 pm
I had to be a bit creative with this one...
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 08, 2007, 12:42:04 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 08, 2007, 01:21:04 pm
A little creative driving was needed to get the top and right edges.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 08, 2007, 01:25:31 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 08, 2007, 01:46:49 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 08, 2007, 02:18:52 pm
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 08, 2007, 02:49:32 pm
http://h1.ripway.com/ukmidis/Challenge.zip
Again, they should be used with Micro_Machines_2_-_Turbo_Tournament_(E)_[c][!].bin
Post by: Maxim on July 08, 2007, 03:04:30 pm
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 08, 2007, 03:32:31 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 09, 2007, 12:56:55 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 09, 2007, 02:11:24 am
Post by: Maxim on July 09, 2007, 12:07:50 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 09, 2007, 12:46:10 pm
I'm not sure what to do about the middle-right edge - it'd make more sense to have a gap there but it seems there isn't one. There doesn't seem to be any nice tiles for a tidier corner, either.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 09, 2007, 12:55:00 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 09, 2007, 03:45:04 pm
Barbecue Burnoff
The artwork style is quite different in '96, I hadn't really compared them before.
There's still plenty to do on Micro Machines 2, I'm just doing the easy parts first. This one was almost 100% done by the autostitcher.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 09, 2007, 04:00:04 pm
It contains, in order, Cue Capers, In A Spin, Attic Antics, Jelly Jitters, Picnic Problems*, Plate Hop, Turbo Blast, Raining Champ...
*Note that, as I've said before, the Picnic Problems in '96, is different, in layout from the Picnic Problems in MM2...
Post by: Maxim on July 10, 2007, 12:58:09 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 10, 2007, 04:02:58 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 10, 2007, 03:03:00 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 10, 2007, 03:49:38 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 11, 2007, 12:48:09 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 11, 2007, 09:02:43 am
Post by: Maxim on July 11, 2007, 11:05:45 am
- Drive (fly) once around the lap, stitch and see where the holes are.
- Drive around again trying to go over the parts needed. This involved a lot of crashing in the jet stage.
- Stitch and merge, see what holes are left.
- Take a few more screenshots to fill in the remaining holes, or use grid alignment to make it easy to replicate graphics for the small holes.
For the jets, the brake has some effect which makes it a little easier.
Post by: Maxim on July 11, 2007, 12:15:13 pm
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 11, 2007, 12:46:31 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 11, 2007, 04:01:46 pm
Tent Tussle ('96)
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 11, 2007, 04:08:52 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 11, 2007, 04:27:32 pm
There wasn't much I couldn't get on-screen, maybe 6 or 7 tiles. There were a lot of quarter- and half-showing tiles I could replicate from elsewhere on the map. The small islands at the left and right are the same, I left them on the right.
Post by: Maxim on July 11, 2007, 04:49:57 pm
Mach 1 Mayhem ('96)
Post by: TerraEsperZ on July 11, 2007, 05:37:16 pm
I'm jealous by the way ;)
---
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard
B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 12, 2007, 01:34:12 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 12, 2007, 03:44:24 am
http://h1.ripway.com/ukmidis/ProChallenge.zip
I've included all the courses, (except the last course) which should be, in order:
Tent Tussle
Bunsen Bother
Step On It
Jelly Jive
Paper Pranks
Treehouse Tiles
Pool Slalom
Picnic Problems
Turbo Blast
Bench Blast
Treetop Tremors
Chainsaw Chase
Plate Hop
Raining Champ
I know 4 of those you've already mapped, and 2 of them are in the Time Trials anyway.
Micro Machines 2 Super League:
http://h1.ripway.com/ukmidis/SuperLeague.zip
Cue Capers (also in '96 challenge mode)
Rapid Results (same as Stream Struggle)
In A Spin
Attic Antics
Jelly Jitters (not the same as Jelly Jive)
Picnic Problems (not the same as '96, although I've said that enough)
Plate Hop (also on '96 pro challenge mode)
I'll try and get the Challenge and League courses for '96 as well.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 12, 2007, 04:26:16 am
http://h1.ripway.com/ukmidis/Challenge(96).zip
Training Camp
Stamper Stress
Electric Energy
Jet Joust
Hammer Havoc
Banked Oval
Candle Chaos
Bubble Trouble
BBQ Burnoff
Cue Capers
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 12, 2007, 09:25:24 am
Post by: Maxim on July 12, 2007, 09:43:36 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 12, 2007, 10:21:14 am
Post by: Maxim on July 12, 2007, 10:29:45 am
Post by: Maxim on July 13, 2007, 08:24:04 am
Post by: TerraEsperZ on July 13, 2007, 08:37:25 am
---
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard
B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me
Post by: Maxim on July 13, 2007, 09:11:53 am
Post by: Maxim on July 15, 2007, 04:15:13 am
3 Wins Bonus! 1
I still need to add cars to this one though.
Post by: Maxim on July 15, 2007, 12:41:00 pm
3 Wins Bonus! 1
Piano Panic
Post by: Maxim on July 15, 2007, 01:56:08 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 15, 2007, 02:13:53 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 15, 2007, 02:27:17 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 16, 2007, 12:33:52 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 16, 2007, 03:27:33 pm
Quite a lot of the leaves are made up, unfortunately. Also, I can confirm there's quite a lot of minor changes between Micro Machines 2 and Micro Machines '96... I'll finish 2 first before considering re-mapping the altered stages. It solves the problem of whether to post them as a combined set, though.
Post by: Maxim on July 16, 2007, 04:08:35 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 16, 2007, 04:21:55 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 16, 2007, 04:45:18 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 17, 2007, 01:13:52 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 17, 2007, 02:00:13 pm
Plate Hop
Post by: Maxim on July 17, 2007, 03:54:34 pm
I chose not to add the blowing leaves over the top.
I see 6 more regular tracks, 1 bonus track, maybe more bonus tracks (there's 3 more in the ROM, I need to check what changes), and a few tantalising unused items (eg. "TAG GAME 1"). If I was anything of a Mega Drive ROM hacker, I'd be trying to get at them now.
Post by: Maxim on July 18, 2007, 03:50:38 pm
PAR: FFE09A:00XX = level select (Gens)
Now I can play all tracks in Time Trial mode! Even the ones hidden in the ROM! (Is there a policy here on mapping hidden stuff?) Here's the micro pool table track that (I think) was only in '96, but the data's there in MM2:
Tag Game 1 (unused)
Post by: Maxim on July 19, 2007, 11:14:39 am
Remaining tracks in MM2: (titles from the ROM)
00 RAINING CHAMP
02 PINBALL PANIC
0F WATER CHASE
10 TRAINING CAMP
29 PINBALL PURSUIT
2A RAPID RESULTS (same as Stream Struggle, need to double-check)
33 TAG GAME 2
39-3B 3 WINS BONUS! x 3 <-- need to play through..?
I think I checked all the other "secret" slots, but I will check again.
Post by: Maxim on July 19, 2007, 04:21:21 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 20, 2007, 02:04:31 pm
Pinball Panic
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 20, 2007, 03:40:35 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 21, 2007, 01:38:52 am
Post by: Maxim on July 21, 2007, 06:55:01 am
Post by: Maxim on July 22, 2007, 03:32:03 am
Post by: Maxim on July 22, 2007, 04:25:44 am
And that's the last one for Micro Machines 2. I still need to go and map the secret items mentioned above, and to sort out those bonus games; and finally, decide on some kind of order. I'm considering adding some title cards too, but it'd confuse the wrapping of the levels in some cases, and sometimes be a waste of pixels.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 22, 2007, 04:31:08 am
b is 1st, d is 2nd, e is 3rd, c is 4th and a is 5th I think.
Post by: Maxim on July 22, 2007, 07:27:41 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 22, 2007, 09:09:20 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 22, 2007, 09:34:38 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 22, 2007, 09:35:40 am
Post by: Maxim on July 22, 2007, 10:10:54 am
1. Load the ROM in a hex editor
2. Find the level names (0x4548b)
3. Copy/paste and number them in hex from 0
4. Write the number sequence for the start of time trial mode:
BBQ Burnoff = 02
Science Lab = 40
Hammer Havoc = 33
5. Search the ROM for those bytes (0x452c5)
6. Type the values from your list to replace the Time Trial tracks - remember to back up the original though.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 22, 2007, 02:06:04 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 22, 2007, 03:01:22 pm
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 22, 2007, 03:53:26 pm
It's easy to do.
1. Load the ROM in a hex editor
2. Find the level names (0x4548b)
3. Copy/paste and number them in hex from 0
4. Write the number sequence for the start of time trial mode:
BBQ Burnoff = 02
Science Lab = 40
Hammer Havoc = 33
5. Search the ROM for those bytes (0x452c5)
6. Type the values from your list to replace the Time Trial tracks - remember to back up the original though. Don't type too many, it'll break the ROM - there's room for 27.
Some of the levels are likely to be broken, eg. the ones called OLDTRACK.
You can use the same numbers in a "value" Action Replay code search which can help when you want to trigger certain tracks (eg. bonus games) in modes other than Time Trial. (The bonus tracks have no circuit defined so they bug out in Time Trial mode.)
I found the level names and edited "Driller Killer" to "Toolbox Terror" just to test it. But firstly, what do you mean by "0x4548b"? And, where do you get the number sequence for the start of time trial mode? Also, how do you search for things like 0x4548b and 0x452c5? I'm completely new to this BTW. <_<
1. Load the ROM in a hex editor
2. Find the level names (0x4548b)
3. Copy/paste and number them in hex from 0
4. Write the number sequence for the start of time trial mode:
BBQ Burnoff = 02
Science Lab = 40
Hammer Havoc = 33
5. Search the ROM for those bytes (0x452c5)
6. Type the values from your list to replace the Time Trial tracks - remember to back up the original though. Don't type too many, it'll break the ROM - there's room for 27.
Some of the levels are likely to be broken, eg. the ones called OLDTRACK.
You can use the same numbers in a "value" Action Replay code search which can help when you want to trigger certain tracks (eg. bonus games) in modes other than Time Trial. (The bonus tracks have no circuit defined so they bug out in Time Trial mode.)
Post by: Maxim on July 23, 2007, 03:25:05 am
1. Load the ROM into a hex editor
2. Find the level names
There's a text search function in most hex editors. In MM2 they're capitalised, in MM96 they're Title Cased; in either case, it's a bit of luck that they're in ASCII. There are tools for finding text in other encodings, anyway.
Finding the text is a starting point for reverse engineering the level data. In this case, it's extremely easy because the text is all together and that's a good indicator that the text ordering tells you the level data ordering.
Anyway, you find the first letter of the first name (Raining Champ) at offset 0x4548b. That's a hexadecimal number telling you what position in the file I am referring to. There's usually a bunch of numbers at the left telling you the address, but it ends in 0, and the data it shows has 16 bytes on a line. The status bar will tell you exactly which byte the cursor is on, it'll be the same row address as on the left but with the last digit changed. There's probably a "go to" function to jump to any given address, which is why I posted it.
3. Copy paste and number
Counting text strings in hex is hard work. I copy/pasted the block of text into a text editor, split it up to one track per line, and then wrote numbers before each, to make it easy to find which number means which track.
Since we're dealing with a raw binary file, we need to deal with values as hex numbers. 2 digits of hex means 1 byte. So we number them. Anyone who deals with computers knows that you normally number things starting at 0. So number them 00, 01, 02, 03, ... 09, 0A, 0B, 0C, 0D, 0E, 0F, 10, 11, 12, ... etc.
The next thing I did was to fire up Kega and do an Action Replay code search using these values. I just started a bunch of levels and assumed there'd be a byte in RAM that matched the number from my list; Kega helped find which byte. From that, I can make a PAR code that will override the level by force. Unfortunately, PAR codes are a bit screwy when they are moved from Kega to Gens, and it's a hassle to modify them, you end up having to input all possible values and selectively enable the right one. But it did confirm that my numbering was correct. I posted the PAR code for MM2 earlier in this thread.
4. Write the number sequence for the start of Time trial
5. Search the ROM for those bytes
6. Type the values from your list
After using the PAR code for a while, I wondered if it'd be easier to do a ROM hack. I noted the first three tracks in Time Trial mode, looked up their numbers, and then searched the ROM for those numbers. At first I tried a 16-bit search - the Mega Drive has a 16-bit CPU so they might be 16-bit numbers - by searching for the bytes with 00s in between, but that drew a blank; then I searched for them without the 00s and I got one hit, at offset . I overwrote the data with some other values - 00 01 02 etc - and saved to a new file, since I don't want to lose the original data. I loaded up the modified one and sure enough, the first Time Trial track had become Raining Champ. The relevant offset for the time trial track data in MM96 is 0x452c5.
So, the short version: hex editor, go to offset 0x452c5, type in numbers from your list, but no more than 27 (and no values outside the list) otherwise you'll break the game. Because you can break it, always make a backup.
Some of the values will show up as title cards (eg. Pro Hovercraft and Unused in MM2) but then bug out when you start the race.
To map the bonus tracks, I went back to the PAR code and applied it on a bonus track title card, enabling me to get any bonus track while the game was in the right mode.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 23, 2007, 04:58:44 am
Post by: Maxim on July 23, 2007, 06:54:27 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 23, 2007, 12:49:34 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 24, 2007, 01:05:45 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 24, 2007, 08:35:12 am
Post by: Maxim on July 24, 2007, 11:29:39 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 24, 2007, 03:18:22 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 25, 2007, 03:14:20 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 25, 2007, 03:42:01 am
Post by: Maxim on July 25, 2007, 09:42:07 am
Compare versions at MobyGames
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 26, 2007, 04:01:50 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 26, 2007, 04:28:21 pm
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 26, 2007, 04:30:09 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 27, 2007, 08:41:39 am
2. If I did another, it'd be '96, but there are a few killer problems with that. (Mainly a few tracks with annoying palette effects that I'd need to mod Gens for.)
3. I don't really care about 1. I played the SMS version so that's the one I mapped.
4. I played Military once, and hated it. Why map a game I dislike?
My next mapping project will either be finishing one of the 8-bit ones I've started (Cool Spot is nearly done), or doing a stage or two from Sonic 1 (since I want to test my automapper on a different type of game). I also had a quick go with Landstalker but it really needs a hack to properly map a lot of the restrictive parts.
Post by: Maxim on July 28, 2007, 02:22:24 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 28, 2007, 03:30:01 am
TIME TRIAL:
1. Roller Coaster
2. Tiny Treehouse
3. Ferry Fiasco
4. Basement Bumps
5. Whine On!
6. Chainsaw Chase!
7. Garage Games
8. Water Chase
9. Turbo Turns
10. Pool Slalom
11. Bathtub Burnoff
12. Dervish Danger
13. Frosty Reception
14. Pinball Panic
15. Pipe Patience
16. Banked Oval
17. Ups N Downs
18. Ball Chase
19. Musical Hits
20. Step On It
21. Crossing Chaos
22. Vice Squad
23. Stream Struggle
24. Rim Runners
25. Treehouse Tiles
26. Garden Jumps
27. Driller Killer
CHALLENGE:
1. Training Camp
2. Driller Killer
3. Sand Castles
4. Pinball Pirsuit
5. Cob Challenge
6. Ceiling Circuits
7. Garage Games
8. ATV Action
9. Lights Out!
10. Ball Bonanza
11. Whine On!
12. Roller Coaster
13. Bury My Body
14. Piano Panic
15. Bathtub Burnoff
16. Banked Oval
17. Treehouse Tiles
18. Vice Squad
19. Musical Hits
20. Toaster Trouble
21. Ball Chase
22. Crossing Chaos
23. Ups N Downs
24. Bricks N Trees
25. Windy Willows
SUPER LEAGUE:
Division 4:
1. Tiny Treehouse
2. Garden Jumps
3. Rim Runners
4. Chainsaw Chase!
Division 3:
1. Cue Capers
2. Rapid Results
3. In A Spin
4. Step On It
Division 2:
1. Attic Antics
2. Jelly Jitters
3. Picnic Problems
4. Plate Hop
Division 1:
1. Turbo Blast
2. Pipe Patience
3. Pinball Panic
4. Raining Champ
Post by: Maxim on July 28, 2007, 11:06:50 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 28, 2007, 01:18:09 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 28, 2007, 01:23:39 pm
I found a Firefox extension for batch Imageshack/Photobucket upload and custom gallery creation, which makes this very easy:
Note: headers added 50% to the size of this set, probably due to often tipping the balance from 4 to 8 bits per pixel to fit the images in. But I decided I like them better this way.
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 28, 2007, 02:23:28 pm
Post by: Maxim on July 28, 2007, 02:26:13 pm
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 28, 2007, 02:35:29 pm
TIME TRIAL:
1. BBQ Burnoff
2. Science Lab
3. Hammer Havoc
4. Jet Joust
5. Printer Panic
6. Chainsaw Chase!
7. Candle Chaos
8. Picnic Problems
9. Treehouse Tiles
10. Roller Coaster
11. Hover Havoc
12. Mach 1 Mayhem
13. Driller Killer
14. Cob Challenge
15. Tidal Trouble
16. Basement Bumps
17. Pool Slalom
18. Bathtub Burnoff
19. Frosty Frolics
20. Crossing Chaos
21. Chainsaw Chase!
22. Running Riot
23. Electric Energy
24. Ferry Fiasco
25. Turbo Turns
26. Bunsen Bother
27. Tent Tussle
CHALLENGE:
1. Training Camp
2. Stamper Stress
3. Electric Energy
4. Jet Joust
5. Hammer Havoc
6. Banked Oval
7. Candle Chaos
8. Bubble Trouble
9. BBQ Burnoff
10. Cue Capers
PRO CHALLENGE
1. Tent Tussle
2. Bunsen Bother
3. Step On It
4. Jelly Jive
5. Paper Pranks
6. Treehouse Tiles
7. Pool Slalom
8. Picnic Problems
9. Turbo Blast
10. Bench Blast
11. Treetop Tremors
12. Chainsaw Chase!
13. Plate Hop
14. Raining Champ
15. Ball Chase
LEAGUE:
Division 3:
1. Bean Boogie
2. Vice Squad
3. Aerial Action
4. Basement Bumps
Division 2:
1. Running Riot
2. Toaster Trouble
3. Loco Larks
4. Desktop Drama
Division 1:
1. ATV Action
2. Gym Nasties
3. Water Chase
4. Crossing Chaos
PRO LEAGUE:
Division 2 (same as LEAGUE)
Division 1 (same as LEAGUE)
Premium Division:
1. Dervish Danger
2. Mach 1 Mayhem
3. Bathtub Burnoff
4. Windy Willows
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 28, 2007, 03:17:24 pm
ROOKIE RACES:
1. BBQ Burnoff
2. Cob Challenge
3. Frosty Frolics
4. Electric Energy
5. Basement Bumps
6. ???
JETS N JUMPS
1. Jet Joust
2. Treehouse Tiles
3. Aerial Action
4. Electric Energy
5. Mach 1 Mayhem
6. ???
MIGHTY MIX
No preset tracklist
MONSTER COURSES:
1. Treehouse Tiles
2. Desktop Drama
3. Mach 1 Mayhem
4. Dervish Danger
5. Ferry Fiasco
6. ???
TURBO CARS:
1. Turbo Turns
2. Banked Oval
3. Aerial Action
4. Ferry Fiasco
5. Bathtub Burnoff
6. ???
PRO TOURNAMENT
1. Printer Panic
2. Ball Chase
3. Mach 1 Mayhem
4. Hover Havoc
5. Ferry Fiasco
6. Ceiling Circuit
7. Bathtub Burnoff
8. Bench Blast
9. Candle Chaos
10. ???
MEGA COMP:
1. Science Lab
2. Tidal Trouble
3. Ball Bonanza
4. Treehouse Tiles
5. Banked Oval
6. Bunsen Bother
7. BBQ Burnoff
8. Hammer Havoc
9. Stamper Stress
10. Turbo Turns
11. Pool Slalom
12. Roller Coaster
13-24, 25-36 etc. repeats
Finally
8-PLAYER PAD SHARE:
1. Pool Problems
2. Tiny Trees
3. Tree Trouble
Post by: JonLeung on July 28, 2007, 08:27:22 pm
Okay, well, they're uploading as I type this. So they're practically up!
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on July 29, 2007, 03:03:10 am
Post by: Maxim on May 01, 2009, 11:51:54 am
Post by: JonLeung on May 01, 2009, 07:36:33 pm
Which eight are they?
Maybe if you email or make a new post with just those eight they are, that would speed things along...
Post by: Maxim on May 02, 2009, 05:00:50 pm
BBQ Burnoff http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/6007/micromachines96barbecuefz1.png
Science Lab http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7475/micromachines96sciencelcb6.png
Jet Joust http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/1610/micromachines96jetjoustol0.png
Printer Panic http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/383/micromachines96printerpsv2.png
Picnic Problems http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/2115/micromachines96picnicprwm9.png
Mach 1 Mayhem http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/8582/micromachines96mach1maybc8.png
Tidal Trouble http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/8126/micromachines96tidaltronl3.png
Tent Tussle http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/787/micromachines96tenttusslj7.png
Order as listed.
Post by: JonLeung on May 24, 2009, 08:50:08 am
Is it "BBQ Burnoff" or "Barbecue Burnoff"?
Post by: Maxim on May 26, 2009, 12:20:41 am
Post by: Maxim on April 18, 2011, 03:17:55 am
Post by: The Ultimate Koopa on April 24, 2011, 08:35:57 pm